Well folks, another series ended tonight, but not without some nastiness. All that and more coming up.
Game 4: Boston 4, Montreal 1
Boston wins the series 4-0
Like St. Louis, Montreal was eliminated in a four game sweep. Unlike St. Louis, those @$$hole Montreal fans deserved to wallow in losing at home. More on that later.
I'll get to what Boston did first, and that was play a hell of a game. Claude Julien got the most out of his squad which somehow motivated Michael Ryder to get three points (two goals and an assist) against a team that didn't want him back. David Krejci got a goal and an assist while Phil Kessel got a goal breaking out of the penalty box. Tim Thomas made 26 stops and now they get to see the first semi-finals in years
You know, Bob Gainey did this to himself. He had a sophomore team with a sophomore goaltender and continued to ride him even though Price was becoming inefficient and that there was another capable goaltender on the bench. I can understand the fans being frustrated over being eliminated in the quarterfinals, but considering that only relatively recently have you had a team that can sniff the post-season, much less make it in there, be grateful for what you have. The Bronx and mock cheers against Carey Price is utterly ridiculous. It was classless and if you don't wanna grow with your franchise goaltender, then let him go to a team where he can win a Cup and you can have another 6 seasons of missing the playoffs. Cool?
By the way, Mike Komisarek and Milan Lucic really don't like each other...
Game 4: NY Rangers 2, Washington 1
NY Rangers lead the series 3-1
This series is gonna come down to goaltending and with that said, Hendrik Lundqvist is demonstrating nothing short of sheer dominance in leading his team to the next round the of playoffs.
Lundqvist made 38 saves in a situation where a lesser goaltender would have folded by now. Paul Mara and Chris Drury scored for the Rangers. There weren't any minus players on the squad tonight and aside from a dumb penalty Sean Avery took at the end of the game, the team was very cohesive and sound.
Now, you can't blame Varlamov for this; this is his seventh or eighth NHL game ever and the dude can't speak English. Great for Alexander Ovechkin for finally scoring in the series too. I think these guys are still a little green and while they're great players and winners, they still need to figure out how to win.
Game 5 goes back to Washington and I think they'll win that one, but then it'll go back to MSG and unless Lundqvist contracts the Ebola virus, I could easily see Washington's season end there.
Game 4: Calgary 6, Chicago 4
Series is tied 2-2
Like the New Jersey-Carolina series, this one's been pretty evenly matched. While the Blackhawks were dominate at the United Center, they certainly couldn't manage to do the same over at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Now the series is going to at least six games and I won't be surprised if it goes to seven.
On a lineup decimated by injuries, Jerome Iginla got two goals and an assist in tonight's game while leading his team to victory. Olli Jokinen got the same production tonight and shows that he can be a really good player on a team that doesn't require him to lead. Eric Nystrom's becoming a playoff hero and picked up both a goal and an assist this evening. Miikka Kipprusoff didn't have a too impressive game with 4 goals on 32 shots, but it worked enough for them to win.
Chicago wasn't without bright spots. Rookie Kris Versteeg got a goal and two assists while Sammy Pahlsson and Cam Barker got a goal and an assist each. Patrick Kane tallied a goal as well. But Nikolai Khabibulin's five goals allowed on 26 shots? It might be time to tell Cristobal Huet to get ready.
Game 5 is back at the United Center on Saturday. I can't wait hockey fans!
Thanks for checking in! Stay tuned for more Stanley Cup coverage!!
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